Prof Madeleine van Oppen and Dr Lesa Peplow working together in the molecular biology laboratory.

Through various treatments including selective breeding and manipulation of microbes associated with corals – ‘AE’ offers an approach to enhancing the resilience of corals. Following on from a successful international workshop of experts, researchers have now moved the conversation forward and delivered a framework for determining how best to integrate assisted evolution into progressive restoration initiatives.

A one-year-old hybrid coral juvenile (A. sarmentosa x A.florida) is being reared in the National Sea Simulator to reproductive maturity. Once achieved, the researchers will conduct hybrid intercrosses and backcrosses with the parental species. Image: AIMS/W.Chan

In an article published today in the journal Global Change Biology, Prof van Oppen and her colleagues discuss what is achievable through modern coral reef restoration strategies.

They argue that in a future that is characterised by rapid climate change, natural rates of stress tolerance evolution are too slow to maintain functioning coral reef ecosystems. Assisted evolution is proposed as an approach that addresses this need by enhancing environmental stress tolerance of coral reefs.

“The 2014-2016 global coral bleaching event testifies to the urgency of interventionist approaches such as assisted evolution in corals,” said Prof van Oppen.

On a path towards leading-edge coral reef conservation and restoration, the authors identify critical climate resilience traits of corals and propose a 'decision tree' for coral reef restoration, including the use of assisted evolution as a mechanism to enhance resilience of coral stock used in restoration efforts.

Then they put their innovative thinking to the test, presenting a hypothetical example of how the proposed decision tree might function following the 2016 Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching event. This practical exploration highlights important limitations and knowledge gaps, and acknowledges innovative coral reef restoration approaches, such as AE, are still in the proof-of-concept stage of development.

Backed by a prestigious grant from the Paul Allen Foundation, and more recent funding from the Australian Research Council, Prof van Oppen’s research team, alongside international collaborators, are continuing to make promising strides towards understanding the role that assisted evolution can play in modern restoration practice.

The paper ‘Shifting paradigms in restoration of the world’s coral reefs’ by van Oppen et al. is now available online.

Read more here about how AIMS research is enhancing the evolutionary potential and climate resilience of coral reefs for conservation and management.